Kiss me or punch me on the face
by spiralnebulaM31
Summary: A prompt for the first day of the third OQ week on tumblr! Bandit Regina and Robin Hood meet under different circumstances. Bandit Outlaw AU


Regina is running through the forest. For the first time she isn't running from the Queen's Black Knights on her own. A man is running with her, a man whose face reminds her of someone. Although his features look familiar, she's certain she hasn't met him before.

Robin remains a few steps behind her. He knows that he can probably run faster than her, but his instincts tell him to do everything in his power to protect her. So, he keeps running behind her, hoping that he can stop the Black Knights before they come too close to her.

He knows who she is. He has never met her before, but he has seen her face gracing far too many posters to not be able to recognize her. His Merry Men consider her a legend, a woman worthy of admiration, known as one of the most skillful bandits in the area. She doesn't want his protection – she's made that pretty clear when she snapped at him for shooting an arrow at one of the black horses, claiming that she had everything under control even though one of the knights was about to grab her – but he is going to give it to her anyway.

Regina can hear the horses galloping closer and closer and she glances over her shoulder to make sure _he_ is still safe. He's not that far behind, but she can tell he's deliberately slowing down for her. She rolls her eyes and looks ahead again, while they both continue running.

It's hot and stuffy, and the clouds don't allow the humidity to escape to the upper atmosphere. Regina's undershirt is sticking to her sweaty body and the leather she has been wearing since this morning is suffocating her.

One of the Black Knights approaches Robin alarmingly when a thunder is heard from afar. The horse jumps abruptly, causing its rider lose his balance and fall to the ground. It's exactly what they need, because the rest of the men are apparently farther away. Robin slows down, watching Regina do the same in front of him.

"In there," she says, pointing to a large tree. Robin follows her, circling the tree, and watching her as she gets into its hollow.

"Are you going to stay out there? Not that I care, but you'll probably expose _me_ as well if you do so," she says, clearly annoyed and barely able to speak the words because of her panting.

Robin enters the hollow and they find themselves face to face. They just stand there for a few minutes, trying to catch their breaths, the air escaping their lungs in short puffs. Their breaths mingle together in the confined space.

Another thunder is heard, this time from somewhere close, and it starts raining.

"That's just great," Regina mutters and drops her bow and bag of arrows from her shoulders. Robin does the same, not averting his eyes from her face the entire time. It makes her feel self-conscious, something she isn't used to feeling. But she's not used to having company in her hideouts either. It seems like a lot of firsts are in store for her today.

Regina's leather outerwear makes her feel more asphyxiating than ever and she has to take it off. She looks at anywhere but the stranger who helped her escape, while she's unfastening her belt and throwing the offending garment close to her feet. She sees him doing the same, apparently feeling hot as well in his own leather jacket. Her eyes fall to his chest and the muscles that tighten and loosen visibly under his thin shirt when he moves. He notices her staring and when she looks back at his face, a smug grin has formed on his mouth.

Regina releases an exasperated sigh. She can feel a blush rising to her cheeks. She curses the moment this man saved her from the Black Knights – because she does admit it to herself that he saved her– but at the same time his scent invades her nostrils and a sense of familiarity surrounds her. He smells of sweat and _forest_ , the sweet aroma of pinecone and earth making her feel like he's a part of her _home_.

Robin can't take his eyes off Regina. He has heard about her and noticed her face drawn on the posters; the woman he now has in front of him though is like no one he has ever seen. Her lips are a light shade of red, matching her cheeks. Some loose strands of hair frame her face and the generosity of her soul is mirrored in her chocolate brown eyes – he doesn't know how he's figured that out about her, but he is sure she's kind and wonderful inside. She's naturally beautiful and the way she looks at him takes his breath away. He feels her drawing a sharp breath and realizes that he has subconsciously leaned towards her.

Their faces are inches apart and Regina feels hypnotized by Robin's eyes. His pupils are dilated, but she can see the blue in them with the little light that's coming from outside. He stares at her with such intensity that it makes her heart skip a beat and she doesn't remember the last time she felt that way; she only knows that it's been a really long time and she's not sure how to handle this mutual attraction.

' _How can he be attracted to me?'_ she thinks, because she's sweaty and smelly, reasonably so since they had been running for a while, and her braid has loosened, the free hair falling everywhere around her face and scalp, probably frizzy because of the humidity. She hasn't felt feminine for years, all those years of hiding in the forest, and this moment isn't an exception.

"I didn't need saving," Regina states in a determined voice, because she doesn't know what else to say to ease the tension between them.

"You just can't say 'thank you', can you?" Robin teases, his smirk growing even wider, annoying Regina more than it should.

She's about to reply when his lips crash against hers. He gives her a tentative kiss, pulling away slowly to gauge her reaction. Her eyes are wide and her lips remain slightly parted. She doesn't move for a few seconds and he's about to apologize when she grabs the lapels of his shirt and kisses him with such force they both stumble towards the other end of the hollow. His back hits wood and a surprised gasp leaves his mouth. "Sorry," she mumbles between quick fiery kisses and his response comes in the form of his tongue seeking permission to enter her mouth, brushing her lower lip until she lets it in. His moves are gentle, tender even, and she's dizzy with lust. His hands have circled her waist and are caressing her back, while hers are around his neck, stroking the short hair at the back of his head.

Robin is panting and he realizes that so is Regina. They're as close as they can possibly be, their connected chests creating some amazing friction even through the fabric of their shirts. He can feel her hardened nipples brushing his chest and it makes him groan and ground his hips against hers. Regina moans and it's music to his ears. Trying to find more ways to elicit this sound from her, Robin buries one of his hands in her hair, the other going under her shirt. Her back is smooth and damp, and he relishes the feeling of her bare skin against his palm.

A content sigh leaves Regina's lips and they're pulling away slightly, mouths parting and foreheads touching, breaths mingling and hearts beating fast. Through the haze of pleasure that is clouding her mind, Regina realizes that she doesn't even know his name. She has to tell him that this is not like her; she doesn't usually make out with men she doesn't know in the middle of the forest. But the next moment his lips are on her neck and her head falls to the side to give him better access. He trails kisses from below her earlobe to her collarbone and then back up again. His hand that was craddling her head comes between them and he pinches her nipple lightly, rubbing it with his thumb afterwards. Her shirt is still separating his fingers from her skin, but that doesn't change the effect his ministrations have on her, and she releases another moan. He repeats the procedure on her other nipple and a shiver runs down her spine in anticipation of what could come next. Regina can feel his hard length pressing against her thigh and she wants more of this, more of him. One of her hands reaches down and rubs him through his pants, gently at first, but increasing the pressure when she hears him groan in her ear.

Robin doesn't remember ever having felt such raw passion for a woman. He wants to get her naked; he needs to feel her body against his without any fabric or leather separating them. He stops her hand that's still rubbing him and intertwines their fingers, keeping them connected beside their hips. He opens his eyes to look into hers and he realizes that he doesn't only want her body. He wants to get to know her and do this properly. They have to slow down.

"Regina…" Her name is a whisper on his lips and her reaction confuses him. She frowns and attempts to take a step back, although there's not much space to move and she has nowhere to go.

"How do you know my name?" she asks, a guarded expression covering her face, despite the fact that she's still breathless from their kisses and touches.

"I recognized you the moment I saw you. Wait, you don't know who I am?" he asks and she shakes her head 'no', looking suspicious and a little panicked. "I thought you had recognized your competition, like I did," he adds in a lighter tone, wanting to make her see that he doesn't intend to do her any harm.

Regina's emotions are portrayed in her eyes; bewilderment, fear, hurt, anger.

The next thing Robin feels is a sharp pain on his face. He's taken aback and he touches his nose, feeling warm liquid ooze from his nostrils and spill on his fingers. Regina has managed to gather her things and she's already pacing past him to get out of the hollow.

"Regina, wait…" he yells after her, but she's already gone and his voice can't be heard through the rain that's still falling.

Once again, Regina is running from someone, but it's the first time she can recall that she's not being chased by the Queen's Black Knights or some noble man's guard. That man was Robin Hood and she couldn't have stayed there with him. She's being constantly chased by her past and her life choices. What just happened was nothing different. She couldn't have been happy with him; she can't be happy with anyone. And no matter how much hope being close to him and gazing into his eyes had given her, the truth took it away. Its remnants are being washed away by the rain, as she's running through the forest.


End file.
